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March 20, 2014

What not to do after a marathon!

So after the excitement of my marathon finish on Sunday I have a little confession to make......I did not make the best choices for race recovery at all!

1. I had only one bottle of water and quite a few small cups of beer at the finish....why not? I just completed the race of my life. I did restrain myself and did not go for the option of having my growler filled with beer at Lighthouse Bar and Grill. (that was part of the AG prize!)

2. I ate one slice of pizza in the few hours after the race.....not a great way to treat your body post run, but I was just too excited to eat.

3. I managed to stretch for a few minutes, but not nearly the amount for that type of race. I paid for it on Monday when I was hobbling around like someone 100 years old.

A little stretching is better than none, right?

4. I skipped my post race massage appointment to cheer for the last marathoners to finish the race. (this race had massage therapists in the tent and offered 20 minute massages, a really nice perk!) After all the support I received during the race, I wanted to be out there supporting other runners. This was not a bad choice, but it certainly did not help my physical recovery!

Tom took this photo on our way to cheer!

5. Instead of hydrating properly, I had more adult beverages at dinner in celebration. Let's just say all the hydrating I did leading up to the race was my reason to let loose and skip the normal post race rituals!

6. I did not work the lactic acid out of my legs by walking afterwards. It was rainy and that was my excuse.

32 comments:

I think poor post-race recovery happens to the best of us! I ate nothing after Wine and Dine this year b/c I was in too much pain (lame excuse) and at 17 weeks pregnant, I really paid for it the next day. After my husband did his Ironman, he didn't feel well and literally ate nothing afterwards. He suffered big time!

Jen, I totally agree, although I am anxious to talk with my coach about this issue next week. We all do our best, but as recreational runners, sometimes fun or a celebration take over! Sorry but not sorry this time!

Oh yeah, I honestly think this happens every single runner at some point! After the Disney races are when I'm the worst about it...barely any stretching, compression socks may or may not happen, and alcohol consumption in EPCOT is pretty much guaranteed lol. Good thing, though, is you can still make up for it! Get your massage, do some foam rolling and stretching and compression... maybe an Epsom salt or ice bath. Hope your legs feel good soon!

My post race ritual usually includes having at least a beer...not good, but yummy and earned! After the Disneyland half I started to go on rides before eating something and man was my body angry at me for that one! And hello, the Wine & Dine ends in an after party, so, yeah, well, we all know what happens there lol. So you didn't do the best recovery, but you earned the right to do whatever you wanted to after that amazing race! I think BQ qualifying gets you a "get out of proper recovery" free card! Congratulations again on your fabulous race! :)

Oh yes Pam! I've definitely not recovered properly after a race before. I find that if I don't rehydrate I will get a horrible headache. So I try to get that one done for sure! And then I never have a hard time eating lol!

Mindy, It's funny how sometimes I do a great job and others not so much. This time, the excitement kept me from paying any attention to what I should do, but thankfully my muscles and body are back to normal!

Its so easy to not do what you're supposed to do after a big race when you're wrapped up in all of the excitement! And you certainly had a lot to celebrate, so I don't blame for doing all of these things this past weekend. I know that I don't stretch enough after races like I do after a long run, and I definitely pay for it every time.

My not-so-smart recovery was a little out of my control. Princess 2012 was my first half, and I flew back to Dallas that afternoon. I tried to get up and walk around and stretch on the plane, but I was VERY sore the next day. I knew part of it was because it was my first half but part of it was because I was on a plane afterwards.

After the Disney Marathon I didn't drink anything for several hours. My brother kept telling me to but I just couldn't. No food either. It was well after 5pm when we finally ate at the Sci-Fi Dine In. Oh yeah, no stretching whatsoever as well. Go ahead, ask me how my flight home went. LOL

I am horrible at eating and hydrating AFTER a race! I am glad to see that you stayed to cheer on the other runners but sorry you missed out on your massage. I love it when the races have them available on site!

Meranda that was the first time I was going to have a post race massage, but I just could not stand to wait for 30 minute when I could be outside cheering on runners. I am still happy with that choice even though my muscles would have preferred the massage.

I've never had bad recovery after a race, I think because I learned my lesson after my first long training run...I got up REALLY early (since it was August and REALLY HOT) to do my 12 mile run when training for my first half marathon and when I got home my husband was still in bed so I showered quick and got back in bed with him! BIG MISTAKE. I have never been so sore in my life as I was when I eventually got out of bed again, it was terrible!

Ironically, being at a Disney race does not bode well for the actual race because of all the time I spend on my feet BEFORE the race but it does force me to walk around AFTER the race and therefore, I recover better from Disney races than local races where I immediately plant myself on my couch.

That bottle is hella cool and I think this should be something other races do. I want one!

I hear you! I am guilty of not ever stretching after races but I have gotten MUCH MUCH better with walking around. That's why I love when races have after parties, it makes it easier to follow that rule. I always wear my compression sleeves, even sometimes to bed when I need a little pick me up.

I completely understand your actions after this race though. HOW COULD YOU NOT CELEBRATE!!!

Congratulations! I'm so proud of you and so happy for you! I've been bragging about you qualifying like I myself qualified. hahah I'm so happy I'll actually have someone to cheer for! <3

Thanks Meg, Yes, it is easier to recooperate if their is an after party at the race. Unfortunately, our weather turned bad, with rain before the last runners finished and that broke up any celebration because it also felt cold. Come to Boston next year and join the cheering/drinking crowd. We are gonna have some fun! :)

I did a crummy job of 10K recovery on Saturday, actually! I can just imagine marathon recovery, but I didn't eat anything because I was looking forward to going to lunch with my husband and his mom. Well, the car got a flat tire on the way to lunch, so we spent a few hours in the tire shop before I got to eat. Should've at least packed a snack, I guess.

I think sometimes at races where we meet our goals, it's really easy to forget about post-race recovery because we are caught up in the atmosphere. Still, congratulations and wishing you a speedy post-marathon recovery :)

Oh Amy, that stinks about the flat tire. Having a snack available at all times for runners seems like a good idea, especially for post race. My family asks me if I need to eat when I get grumpy....they know I need food!

Pam and Christine

About Pam and Christine

Hi there! We are a mother-daughter running team who have completed multiple marathons and half marathons all over the world. What started as a deal to run a half marathon together in Walt Disney World in 2011 has led us to California, Dublin, Boston, and beyond! Read more...